Boreholes play a vital role in providing water access across Kenya. From farmers, businesses, apartments, schools, hospitals, hotels, churches, and even communities, all depend on borehole water for their day-to-day operations.
Boreholes too, can however have challenges and issues over time, leading to reduced performance and eventual failure.
Understanding the signs, causes, and implementing effective maintenance and rehabilitation measures are crucial for ensuring the longevity and reliability of boreholes.
In this article, we look at possible problems your borehole might encounter, possible causes, and the solutions.
The issues are not limited to what we discuss here and you will need a qualified borehole technician check out your borehole and give you a solution.
1. When your pump does not run, of course there is a problem. The pump may not run when there is a problem in the power supply. Maybe its fuses are blown, or the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) or the motor overload is tripped. The motor contactor may also be defective. The dry running protection could also be tripped, or the power surge protection relay too. The control circuit may also be tampered with, or just defective. Most unlikely, is the submersible cable having an issue. If the pump doesn’t run, you need a technician to check the fuses, the circuit breakers, protection relays and contactor, the overload, and the submersible cable.
2. Sometimes, the pump may run, but doesn’t deliver water. This might indicate either; a leakage in the riser pipes, pump being defective, the inlet strainer being choked up, the discharge valve may just be closed, or there is no water, or low water level in the borehole. In this case, you need to have it lifted, so that the pump, motor and pipes can be checked, the strainer to be cleaned and then the installation depth to be reconsidered, whether it needs to be changed.
3. Another common issue is when the pump runs but at a reduced capacity. This usually indicates that the drawdown has increased. The valves in the discharge pipes, or the non-return vales may also be closed or blocked. You definitely need the pump to be lifted and these checked: drawdown, installation depth, Valves in the discharge pipes, Pump and Motor, and pipework.
4. Whenever the pump runs but it takes long before the water is delivered to the surface, it may indicate either a faulty Non-Return Valve, or a leakage in the riser pipes. In this case, you need the pump lifted so that the non-return valve can be checked, and also the piping be checked for leakage.
5. Loud noise in the pipework during operation indicates Water Hammer. There is need to fit non-return valve and diaphragm tank on the surface delivery line to counter this.
6. The pump and motor can be mechanically damaged when there is cavitation due to low system head, resulting in operation at insufficient pressure. The pump can be throttled, or replaced with a lower pressure alternative.
7. Frequent starts and stops happen when the electrode or water level sensors are not installed correctly. The non return valve may also be leaking, faulty, or half open. Also, when the pump is oversized for your borehole, it pumps all the water out very fast, and stops and starts very frequent. You therefore need the pump lifted for the electrodes to be checked for the right interval of installation, the non-return valve to be cleaned, and checked whether it is rightly sized for the borehole.
Whenever a borehole displays any sign of disfunction, it is important to ensure a reputable company with qualified and experienced technicians check it and recommend the next course of action. Ignoring an issue may have it amplify to the extent that the borehole might not be recoverable.
Save your borehole today by putting HydroConnect Solutions on speed dial for when you need your borehole checked.
call us 0789 287247
email us sales@hydroconnect.co.ke